Marketplace Fee Calculator

The net revenue from a sale on a marketplace is calculated as: Net Revenue = Sale Price × (1 - Marketplace Fee Rate) - Fixed Fee - Payment Processing Fee. The Marketplace Fee Rate is the percentage the marketplace charges (e.g., 6.5% for Etsy, 10% for Gumroad, 13.25% for eBay), entered as a decimal. Fixed Fee is any flat charge per transaction (e.g., $0.20 on Etsy or $0.30 on eBay). Payment Processing Fee is typically 3% + $0.25 of the total transaction (including taxes/shipping if applicable), but can be customized. The take-home percentage is then: Take-Home % = (Net Revenue / Sale Price) × 100. To compare with selling on your own store, the own-store net revenue is: Sale Price × (1 - Card Processing Fee Rate) - Card Processing Fixed Fee, where Card Processing Fee Rate is usually 2.9% and Fixed Fee $0.30. The difference in take-home is: Own-Store Net Revenue - Marketplace Net Revenue. This calculation is crucial because marketplace fees often exceed 20% of the sale price, significantly reducing profit margins, especially for low-priced items where fixed fees dominate.

A 'good' take-home percentage depends heavily on your sale price and marketplace. For items under $10, fixed fees can eat 10-20% of revenue, making take-home as low as 60-70%. For items over $50, percentage fees dominate, and take-home often ranges from 80-90% on Etsy to 75-85% on eBay. Selling on your own store typically yields 95-97% take-home after card processing, but you must account for additional costs like hosting, marketing, and transaction disputes. The key principle is that low-priced items suffer disproportionately from fixed fees, while high-priced items are more affected by percentage fees. Compare your effective fee rate (total fees / sale price) to industry ranges: marketplace fees often total 10-20% for most products, but can exceed 30% for low-cost items. Use this calculator to identify which products are most profitable to sell on marketplaces versus your own site.

A common mistake is forgetting to include payment processing fees in the total, leading to an overestimate of take-home. Another is using the marketplace fee on the subtotal instead of the total sale price including taxes/shipping, which many marketplaces do. Also, sellers often ignore fixed fees for low-cost items—a $0.30 fixed fee on a $5 item is 6% of the sale, significantly impacting margins. Edge cases: when using custom rates, ensure the payment processing fee is applied to the correct amount (some marketplaces charge it on the total including marketplace fees). Additionally, currency conversion fees can apply for international sales, which are not included in this basic calculator. Finally, don't forget that refunds and chargebacks may incur additional fees, but these are not part of standard transaction costs.

Marketplace Fee Rate

The percentage of the sale price charged by the marketplace (e.g., Etsy, eBay) for listing and selling an item.

Fixed Fee

A flat dollar amount charged per transaction, separate from the percentage fee, often covering listing or payment processing costs.

Payment Processing Fee

The fee charged by the payment gateway (e.g., Stripe, PayPal) to process a credit card transaction, typically a percentage plus a fixed amount.

Take-Home Percentage

The percentage of the sale price that the seller actually receives after all fees are deducted.

Own Store

A seller's independent e-commerce website where they control pricing and only pay card processing fees, avoiding marketplace commissions.